Caroline Cove Owners Association, Inc.

President’s Message...by Brad Richards

Jul 28, 2003

I would like to welcome each of you to another year of ?“The Cove?” and I would like to welcome all of the new homeowners who recently moved into our neighborhood.
During a recent inspection of the detention ponds we have found that people are using the ponds as a place to get ride of yard waste old grills and trash. Please put your trash and yard waste out at the curb pick up is free. It cost the Association $150.00 dollars to have the trash picked up out of the ponds. (Please see a separate article on maintenance to the detention ponds on Page 2). Additionally, we have noticed several homeowners who are using the retention ponds as a play area for their children. This is not allowed in the covenants. Please refrain from allowing your children from using the retention ponds as a play area or allowing them to assemble their play sets, forts or other play areas in there.
Once again this year we will be working on some of the lawns in the neighborhood to get them back to community standers. On this subject, the association has been forced to file a lawsuit to bring one home into compliance. Not only is this a very expensive proposition for the association (legal fees must be paid up-front) but the homeowner involved will end up with substantial legal fees, court costs and they will still have to repair their lawn.
On the crime front we had a Burglary/Conveyance at a house on Mikris Drive North and one house in Unit 1 was broken into. These are the first problems we have had in almost a year in our neighborhood. Please be aware of these recent burglaries when you leave for the day.
During the last SHADCO meeting we took a tour of the JSO Comm. Center. This is where all the 911 and non-emergency calls come in. It is quite an operation that they have and while we were there we where able to put on a head set and listen to the calls that where coming in. They get a lot of calls that are the wrong number or from the elderly who have no one to talk to so they call the 911 operators to have someone to talk to.
Finally, please mark your calendars for July 17th we have a meeting set up with a Master Gardner Larry O?’Neil from the Duval County Extension Office to give a talk on lawn and garden care. This meeting (not a general homeowner meeting) will be an hour long and there will be plenty of time for your questions.
On September 18th at 7 P.M. we will be holding our regular Homeowners meeting. If you plan on running for one of the two open seats on the board, you must be at this meeting to introduce your self to the members of the Association and place your name on the ballot to be mailed to all homeowners in November.
The other big issue I would like to address in this newsletter is the state of the front entrance. Many of you have stopped me, called the association and written letters to us demanding we take action to correct the terrible state of the front entrance. As many of you know we do not own this area and cannot spend any association monies to maintain it. There are also liability issues since Unit 1 has not purchased any general liability insurance for this area. Because of this we cannot risk getting involved.
We had been encouraged when several owners started maintaining the property and we thought the owners in Unit 1 were finally going to form an association, but that effort soon faded and the entrance has again fallen into a state of disrepair.
When we reported the unsafe condition of the entrance sign to code enforcement, the city stepped in and made them either repair it or face fines. It looks as if we are going to have to take the same approach when it comes to maintaining the entrance area. We have been working with city council member Lynette Self?’s office and city code enforcement officers in an attempt to get this unsightly mess corrected. However, these efforts have yet to result in any improvement; the area is just getting worse by the day.
We feel it will take more community involvement to get this terrible situation corrected. That?’s where you come in. If you will take the time to write councilmember Self?’s office (lself@coj.net) or call her office at 630-1392, you can help us identify this area for closer inspections and possible help by the city. The city is keenly aware of declining neighborhoods and here is a case where we have a great place to live but have people who live in Unit 1 failing to live up to their responsibilities. While we can?’t force them to form an association, every one of us can contact our city council representative to make our feelings known and demand the city start maintaining this area.
This association has taken every step possible to work with the owners in Unit 1. However, each and every step of the way they have fought us. Now it is time to try a different approach before all our property values start to decline because of their indifference and lack of concern. The city has a duty to maintain the retention ponds and front entrances if a homeowner association is not present. Since Unit 1 doesn?’t care to maintain the area, we have to get the city to do the job. Please take the time now to voice your displeasure at the state of our common entrance. If enough of you send e-mails and call her office, it will raise the level of concern and maybe we can finally get this situation resolved.
Finally, I want to thank all of you for the tremendous support you?’ve shown me the past 4 years while serving on the Board of Directors. I will not be running for re-election this year because of other responsibilities. I hope you will consider throwing your name into the hat this September and serving our community. The community needs your help if it is going to continue to be a great place to live.